placeholder
noun
place·hold·er
ˈplās-ˌhōl-dər 
plural placeholders
1
: a person or thing that occupies the position or place of another person or thing
The bill would empower the governor to appoint a placeholder to a vacant U.S. Senate seat, to serve through the next general election cycle.—
John Sharp
John SharpThe result was that the legislation represented little more than a placeholder to put the budget before a conference committee …—Carl Ingram
Carl Ingram2
: a symbol in a mathematical or logical expression that may be replaced by the name of any element of a set
3
American football
: a player who places and holds the ball upright on the ground for placekicking of a field goal
Examples of placeholder in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The administration was announcing rollbacks and actions in such rapid succession — 31 in around two hours — there appeared to still be placeholders or typos in the news releases.
—Ella Nilsen, CNN, 12 Mar. 2025
However, Taylor could potentially be a placeholder until the Jets find a long-term replacement at quarterback.
—Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 25 Feb. 2025
Indeed, the placeholder is simply meant to alert employees that someone needs to look at the file to determine what needs to be corrected.
—Chicago Tribune, 21 Feb. 2025
Everyone else is a functional role player at best, a placeholder at worst.
—Derrik Klassen, The Athletic, 12 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for placeholder
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Ella Nilsen, CNN, 12 Mar. 2025
However, Taylor could potentially be a placeholder until the Jets find a long-term replacement at quarterback.
—Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 25 Feb. 2025
Indeed, the placeholder is simply meant to alert employees that someone needs to look at the file to determine what needs to be corrected.
—Chicago Tribune, 21 Feb. 2025
Everyone else is a functional role player at best, a placeholder at worst.
—Derrik Klassen, The Athletic, 12 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for placeholder
Cite this Entry
“Placeholder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/placeholder. Accessed 18 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
placeholder
noun
place·hold·er
ˈplās-ˌhōl-dər
: a symbol used in mathematics in the place of a numeral not yet known
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